Genesis 1:26 - "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...'" (God)
Psalm 139:13-14 - "For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows this very well." (King David)
Jeremiah 1:5 - "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to all the nations." (God)
Jeremiah 29:11 - "'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.'" (God)
Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Paul)
Philippians 1:6 - "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus." (Paul)
These are just a few of the verses in the Bible that lead me to value human life. God has a plan for us. We need to keep in mind that there is an enemy whose sole purpose is to destroy and defame the image of God. He seeks to turn God's creation against Him. Even though this enemy is ultimately doomed, he wants to take as many people down with him as he can. He has nothing to lose because he's already lost. He is extremely dangerous. He is the father of lies. "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to convince the world he didn't exist". Not a biblical quote, but still dead on. There is an enemy, and I'm calling him out.
There's been a lot of uproar on Facebook about the death penalty. Convicted criminals are given quiet deaths that are as comfortable as possible. Criminals who were given trials and appeals, who have sat on death row for years. The nation watches one man die, but turns a blind eye to the genocide that is also going on in our country. Americans sit and condemn Chinese for making their genocide gender-specific while our country is indiscriminate. I know I told myself I wouldn't preach from the pulpit on this blog, but this issue has been eating me for years.
Abortion is murder. Period. Whatever the circumstances that lead to that decision, it doesn't matter. Do I sound heartless? Do I care? We're at war, people, and the enemy is slaughtering millions of us yearly. He's laughing so hard as he throws rationales at us. Some poor girl was raped and got pregnant. That is a horrible scenario. I do NOT condemn her for considering an abortion. Even if she gets an abortion, I do NOT condemn her. I condemn the sick, psycho rogue angel behind it. I condemn him who lied to her. The horrible sin of rape has already been committed, but I do NOT want this innocent victim to add murder to the list of crimes. As a Christian, it's not my job to point the finger in blame. It's my job to help her be a mother, or at least find suitable adoptive parents. First and foremost, it's my job to point her to Jesus. Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 6:12 says "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, powers and authorities of this present darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." I don't battle people. I battle the lies at the source. Ultimately, this world will kill me. I won't get out alive. "I promise, we all die, and this world is crushed..." - Tedashii's "Do You Feel". Well, I feel like "reppin' Him now", Tedashii. I will be dead to this world, but alive with God for eternity. Satan will ultimately gain this whole world, right before it is destroyed, and he will spend eternity alone in eternal separation from God. I don't want another person to fall victim to the lies. I proclaim the Truth. The Truth is still the Truth even if nobody believes it.
I knew a girl personally who had had 2 abortions before I met her, and she was a wreck. I've heard stories and testimonials from women who enter a deep depression around their aborted baby's due date (birthday). I've even heard stories and testimonials from men who failed to protect their children. Abortion affects men too. Men are hard-wired by God to be protectors. If a man gets a girl pregnant at 17, encourages her to get an abortion because they're not ready, and then they get married and have a kid at 24, they still remember that they could have had a 7yr old child ready to welcome a younger sibling, but instead they killed that one. If the man failed to protect that earlier child, he will have doubts about his ability to protect this new one. Either that, or he will completely devalue this child's life. Either way, it's destructive. Everyone makes a case about why abortions are necessary, but nobody is around to defend those victims of abortion. Nobody is around to make a case for those men and women who realize they made a mistake, and want to stop others from making the same mistake. Society stifles them.
Another rationale for abortion is that the unborn fetus is just a bundle of cells, like tonsils or an appendix, that can be removed without consequences. I ask this question...why are there no counseling groups for people who are victims of a tonsilectomy? Why have I never met a man or woman completely depressed about losing their appendix? That rationale is a lie, and I denounce it as such.
Satan's murdering millions of God's image-bearers every year. Why would he want people to realize it's wrong and stop? He diverts attention from issues where he's winning onto the inhumanity of killing convicted criminals, or other issues. He will support crusades. He is the master illusionist. We humans cannot beat him. I cannot beat him. God has already beaten him. I cling to God, and His victory and protection here on Earth, and I will spend eternity with Him.
I really like Randy Alcorn's take on abortion. Look him up if you want to know more. I only know what I've heard from others, and what I have read from the Bible. If you or someone you know has had an abortion, or been affected by abortion, please understand that I am NOT condemning them. There is healing, there is forgiveness. I have my own list of sins that I need God's grace for every day. God does not condemn them either. Remember Romans 8:1, no condemnation exists for those in Christ Jesus. Remember 2 Corinthians 5:17, if you're in Christ you are a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come! Now, scars do remain. I bear deep scars from my own failures, but we will be healed. Some scars we must bear as reminders here on Earth, but with God in Heaven for eternity we will be without blemish or scar.
Satan is the Father of Lies. God is Truth. I serve God, and I'm at war against Satan. This Earth will be the death of me, but Christ is the life of me. If the Truth does not upset people then it cannot save people.
For the Kingdom,
Stuart
One of my friends was telling me about a girl she read about posting on a support group website because she aborted her baby due to health problems the doctors predicted he'd have. They told her he'd have surgeries every month for his whole life most likely, which wouldn't last more than 10 years. My friend was really confused because she's against it but sees cases like these and doesn't know anymore. All I could think about was Wesley Evans, who was supposedly not going to live past 10 and is going on 16 and hasn't had a surgery in years. A kid born with half a heart doesn't seem likely, but he's beaten the odds. Can you imagine if Cindy had said, that sounds too hard for him and me and didn't give him a chance? It's not our responsibility to say who does and doesn't have a right to be here when they haven't even taken their first breath yet. And feeling Peyton kick the crap out of my ribs while I type this reminds me that these little guys appreciate being given a chance, even if they don't feel it yet :)
ReplyDeleteWe sort of disagree on this. Longer post forthcoming.
ReplyDeleteI would generally agree with Valerie's point. A distant family friend had two children and had had test done in utero; according to the test, one baby had Down's and the other didn't, and they were BOTH wrong. Abortion in that case would have been fodder for a great Greek tragedy. However, I would point out that these life expectancy forecasts are based on summary statistics of babies that are actually born. If things turn out well, great! But remember that somewhere out there are many children whose condition is going along just as badly as the doctors feared. The occasional success does not make concerns about suffering unwarranted.
Regarding the girl who had two abortions, I obviously don’t know this person, but I would imagine just based on her age that she’d probably have some serious issues, abortions or not. Plus, abortions are not really intended to be a serial thing; if you have multiple then you seriously are being irresponsible, and I’m not surprised that that would affect her.
Also, I do not agree with your conclusion that the guy must devalue the life of the child he and his wife take to term. You presuppose that all stages of development are equal, which is dubious. Most abortions occur very early on in the pregnancy, so the idea that he would not value his child’s life just because his wife took a morning-after pill back in the day is absurd. It’s sort of like saying that a combat veteran can’t be trusted as a babysitter because he’s killed people. Different context, not applicable.
I said that the devaluation was only one possibility. Abortions aren't meant to be serial, sure, but my argument is they shouldn't happen at all. Everyone I've spoken to, or heard from, who has had even one abortion has been psychologically and emotionally scarred. Yes, even the men. I also cannot accept physical defects as a reason to abort because by that logic, we could kill my cousin since he has very low quality of life being completely paralyzed and all. And I agree w/ Valerie's example of our friend Wesley. God can heal. Healing may not come on this Earth, but for those who are in Christ there will be a new, perfect body in Heaven. Yes, I do presuppose that all stages of development are equal, which is biblical since God knew us before He even began forming us (see my verses). I claim to believe the Bible, and the Bible allows no wiggle room here. I take the hard line on this issue. Abortion is murder. Period.
ReplyDeleteFor the Kingdom,
Stuart